Good weather has (finally!) arrived, which means that BBQ season has arrived. I often tease B that he is a bit of a bogan – he drives a beaten up Commodore ute, he likes to kick around in bare feet as soon as the weather shows any signs of warming up, and he spends his Saturdays during summer playing cricket with his mates, followed by “hosing a few frosties” (drinking beer). In winter, the scene isnt too different – except that Saturdays are spent in a pub watching the footy. (I should probably clarify here that he does have some endearing qualities that completely go against the bogan grain – he loves a cup of Earl Grey and game of crib for example)
According to B, there are two seasons of the year – the footy season, and BBQ season. The official start date of BBQ season is the weekend after the end of the footy season, which coincides with the start of daylight savings. However, as the weather has been below par lately (which we wont talk about – because we dont complain about the weather on this site now, do we! ;) we have only just recently started firing up the barbie!
Over the summer months we tend to have BBQ’d dinners a few nights a week – they are quick, easy and generally quite healthy. Its also great for B and I as he can eat meat and I can eat vegetarian/fish, yet we can still eat and prepare dinner together. It also means that he cooks, which allows me to put my feet up for the evening ;)
Not eating meat does not mean that you cant enjoy BBQs. There are plenty of delicious vegetarian/vegan options for the BBQ – veggie/lentil/bean/grain burgers, vegetable kebabs, barbequed tofu, tempeh or haloumi, grilled pizzas, cauliflower “steaks” – the list goes on.
My go-to vegetarian BBQ food would have to be a burger. There are a few store-bought brands that I don’t mind, but nothing meets a homemade pattie. I am always on the lookout for new recipes to try, and when I read Charlotte’s Pinto Quinoa Burger recipe I was keen to try it out. One criticism of vegetarian burgers is that that are often crumble, and I was pleased that these held their shape really well. Not only that, they are incredibly flavourful and have a great texture, and even got the double thumbs up from the meat eater.
Bean and quinoa burgers
Adapted from Goodness Green
Note: I made my beans from scratch and used a combination of navy and pinto beans as it was what I had on hand, but I presume any type of bean would work well here. These burgers can just as easily be made with canned beans, and if you go that way they come together really quickly and require little effort.
1 cup dried beans, soaked (or 1 can canned beans, drained)
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Cups water
1/2 cup cooked quinoa
1 egg (or 1 flax egg)
1 carrot, grated
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp oat flour
Salt and pepper to taste
If making the beans from scratch, soak in water overnight. Rinse, and then add with the water and garlic clove to a pot and cook until tender (this will depend on the type of bean you use, for me it was a little over an hour)
Remove from heat, lightly salt and allow to cool.
To make the patties, lightly mash the beans with a fork, and then combine with remaining ingredients. Shape into patties.
The patties can be cooked any of the following ways –
Oven – place on a lined tray at 200C (390F) for half an hour
Fry – heat 1/2 Tbsp oil in a pan, add burgers and cook 5 minutes each side on medium heat
BBQ/Grill – Cook on medium heat for 8-10 minutes each side
Makes 4 patties
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